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I'm not sure I can say this too many times, friends: thank you. Thank you for those times when you've shown patience with our reluctance to walk in the same direction with you. Thank you for when you've acknowledged our concerns about the holiness of God and the authority of Scripture. Thank you for recognizing that evangelical faith is a stream flowing into the glorious river of Anglicanism.

Thank you, above all, for the painful gift of clarity about where you want this church to move. If most conservatives are unable to accompany you, please know that you will always have a place in our hearts.

Douglas LeBlanc is an associate editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

See LeBlanc's earlier dispatches from the General Convention:

Bishops Sanction 'Resources,' Not Rites | Having confirmed gay bishop, Episcopal leaders turn to discussing same-sex unions. (Aug. 7, 2003)

Darkness in the Afternoon | Openly homosexual Episcopal priest cleared of misconduct, confirmed as bishop (Aug. 6, 2003)

The Bitter Harvest of Sexual Ideology | No one wanted the Gene Robinson bishopric debate to take this sad turn (Aug. 5, 2003)

Deputies Slice into the Gordian Knot | The Episcopal Church's House of Deputies approves Gene Robinson as New Hampshire Bishop. The House of Bishops will vote today. (Aug. 4, 2003)

Praise the Lord and Pass the Condoms | Southern Hemisphere primates warned that approving Gene Robinson would place the church outside most of the world's 72 million Anglicans. "You'll get over it," responded about 60 percent of the House of Deputies. (Aug. 4, 2003)

Gene Robinson Takes Questions in a Church called Gethsemane | Speaks on reparative therapy, potential schism, and whether he really "/left" his wife for his male lover. (Aug. 4, 2003)

What in the World Is God Doing? | For Episcopalians, the night may be darkest before the dawn. (Aug. 4, 2003)

Integrity Doles Out God's Not-So Inclusive Love | The Integrity Eucharist has become a triennial sort of mass pity party. (Aug. 1, 2003)

Gay Rites Would Not Bless Ecumenism | Could also impair Anglican work overseas. (Aug. 1, 2003)

Gene and Me | My history with the openly gay man elected bishop of Rochester. (July 31, 2003)

See also yesterday's Weblog Bonus: "'Difficult Days Ahead' For Anglican Communion" and Uwe Siemon-Netto's commentary.

More coverage of the General Convention is available from the ECUSA website, which has streaming video. Conservative and orthodox perspectives are available from Classical Anglican Net News, the American Anglican Council's A Place to Stand, and David Virtue's Virtuosity.

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August (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47